Scottish Executive

Agriculture

Mr Mark Ruskell (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive how much was spent on the Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowance Scheme in (a) 1999-2000 and (b) 2000-01.

Ross Finnie: The expenditure on support measures targeted at Scotland’s less favoured areas in 1999-2000 was £59.3 million and in 2000-01 was £63.1 million. The Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowances scheme (HLCAs) accounted for the total expenditure in 1999-2000 whereas in 2000-01 the spend was split between that scheme (£10.5 million) and its successor, the Less Favoured Area Support Scheme (£52.6 million).

Air Services

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to meet the Secretary of State for Transport to discuss new routes for Scottish airports.

Nicol Stephen: The Executive has regular discussions with the Department for Transport on a range of aviation matters.

Children and Young People

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will enforce the ban on the sale of spray paint to under 16s, as referred to in A Partnership for a Better Scotland .

Ms Margaret Curran: We will be considering the means of enforcing the proposed ban in the context of the on-going consultation on Putting Our Communities First: a Strategy for Tackling Anti-Social Behaviour.  We will put forward our formal proposals in the autumn.

Children and Young People

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the punishment will be for (a) people who sell spray paint to children under 16 and (b) children under 16 who use spray paint illegally.

Ms Margaret Curran: We are consulting on our proposal to make it an offence to sell spray paint to young people aged under 16 in Putting Our Communities: a Strategy for Tackling Anti-Social Behaviour . The punishment for selling spray paint to under 16s is still to be decided.

  The punishment for children who use spray paint illegally will not be affected by the proposed new offence, which relates to the sale of spray paint. Acts of vandalism can be dealt with under common law or the statutory offence in section 52 of the Criminal Law (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 1995.

Children and Young People

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what educational and behavioural opportunities are available to children sentenced to detention under solemn procedure.

Cathy Jamieson: All young people in secure accommodation have access to a full-time broad and balanced education curriculum as well as support through a wide range of behavioural programmes. All services are inspected by integrated teams of Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education, Social Work Services Inspectorate, Care Commission and Health.

Crime

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many shootings were reported to the police in 2002.

Cathy Jamieson: The most recent available information, which relates to 2001, is given in Table 5 of the statistical bulletin recorded crimes and offences Involving Firearms, Scotland, 2001. Copies of the bulletin are available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib Number 24105).

Digital Technology

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the impact of European competition rules on the roll-out of broadband technology in respect of aggregation of demand in the public sector.

Tavish Scott: In the course of the work undertaken to date by the Executive on the aggregated procurement of broadband services for the public sector, every effort has been made to ensure full compliance with the relevant European legislation. This will continue to be the case as work on aggregated procurement progresses.

Digital Technology

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what aggregation has taken place in the public sector with regard to the roll-out of broadband technology; in what towns or communities and when such aggregation has occurred; when and where any further roll-out will take place, and whether it will give an update on its broadband strategy.

Tavish Scott: The aim of the broadband pathfinder projects is to make affordable broadband available to the public sector in the Highlands and Islands and the South of Scotland through the aggregation of demand. The projects, which involve connectivity for health, schools and other local authority sites, are currently in the midst of the formal procurement process.

  The only other example of broadband related aggregated public sector procurement in which the Executive has an involvement is Angus.Net. Supported under the first round of the Executive’s Modernising Government Fund which was established to test innovation, Angus.Net is an innovative example of broadband related public sector procurement. It provides a model for a sustainable, shared, multi-agency telecommunications network across Angus. The organisations involved in Angus.Net include Angus Council, Tayside Police, Angus College and the University of Abertay.

  The Executive is currently using the UK broadband fund to support trials of a variety of different broadband delivery models suitable for remote and small communities. Additionally, it is developing measures under the Executive’s £24 million broadband initiative to stimulate demand for broadband services generally and to subsidise the purchase by businesses and communities of appropriate technologies. An announcement to mark the official launch of the initiative is imminent.

Environment

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what research is currently being undertaken into ways of reducing the numbers of, or eliminating, midges that bite humans.

Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive is not currently funding any research into ways of reducing or eliminating midges that bite humans.

  During my visit to the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies last year, I was given a demonstration by Dr Blackwell of the recently developed "Midgeater".

Higher Education

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people graduated from higher education institutions with an MBChB or MBBS in each year since 1997.

Mr Jim Wallace: The information requested is not held centrally at this level of detail.

  However, information on numbers studying medicine and dentistry at undergraduate level can be found on the Scottish Executive website at:

  www.scotland.gov.uk/stats/bulletins/00260-00.asp

Justice

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how long it takes to confirm, or not confirm, a person’s identity in cases where the Livescan fingerprint service is used.

Hugh Henry: In the year to 31 March 2003, where Livescan equipment was used, the Scottish Fingerprint Service confirmed identity, or did not, in under 2 hours in 98.05% of cases.

Knowledge Economy

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to ensure that the knowledge economy is understood to encompass all sectors of business.

Lewis Macdonald: The key messages that the knowledge economy is a vital part of Scotland's economic future and that it impacts on everyone, including all sectors of business, are fully reflected in the Executive's Smart, Successful Scotland strategy. They have also been fully integrated into our publicity and information strategy and that of the enterprise networks. They have also been given prominence through a range of specific initiatives aimed at improving public sector support for businesses across all business sectors - including our proposals to establish a national intellectual assets centre in Scotland.

Police

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will increase the number of special constables by 500, as referred to in A Partnership for a Better Scotland .

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what initiatives it will introduce to meet the target of increasing the number of special constables by 500, as referred to in A Partnership for a Better Scotland .

Cathy Jamieson: Appointments to the special constabulary are made by chief constables by virtue of the Police (Special Constables) (Scotland) Regulations 1966. The document Policing Priorities for Scotland 2003-2006 published earlier this year by the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (ACPOS) notes that ACPOS "has made it a priority to increase by 500 officers the establishment of the Special Constabulary throughout Scotland". As the partnership agreement states, "we will support chief constables to meet their target of an increase of 500 in the number of special constables". Work to meet the target is now underway.

Regional Selective Assistance

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to ensure the rules governing regional selective assistance meet the current needs of the manufacturing sector.

Lewis Macdonald: An independent and thorough review was carried out in 2001 to ensure that the regional selective assistance grant scheme (RSA) met the needs of businesses in Scotland. The review confirmed that RSA was both worthwhile and necessary, while highlighting a number of areas for improvement. The scheme has now been restructured to take account of the review recommendations and to strengthen its focus on growing Scottish firms.

  It may instructive to note that in February 2003, the Scottish Manufacturing Steering Group reported that perceptions of RSA not meeting the needs of manufacturers "appear misplaced" and that "Investigation demonstrates that, in Assisted Areas, RSA should meet most manufacturers requirements."

Renewable Energy

Alex Johnstone (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications have been (a) made and (b) approved for energy from waste schemes in each year since 1999.

Lewis Macdonald: Information relating to applications for planning consent is not held centrally. An application for an operating license must also be made to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. The following table contains information regarding applications made and licenses granted in each year since 1999.

  


Year 
  

PPC License Application 
  

PPL License Granted 
  



1999 
  

0 
  

0 
  



2000 
  

0 
  

0 
  



2001 
  

 1* 
  

0 
  



2002 
  

0 
  

0 
  



2003 
  

0 
  

0 
  



  Note:

  * deemed not duly made.

Scottish Water

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what cost savings would accrue to Scottish Water if a 10% reduction in per capita demand was achieved through mains leakage reduction or any other means.

Ross Finnie: I have asked Dr Jon Hargreaves, Chief Executive of Scottish Water to respond. His response is as follows:

  While Scottish Water has reliable estimates of leakage and the impact on costs for certain areas, an overall estimate of the level of cost savings made by reducing leakage levels is not available at this time. Scottish Water is currently carrying out a comprehensive evaluation of the impact and scale of leakage on the water network by area which will quantify the impact of leakage on operational costs, as well as benchmark performance against English and Welsh companies and allow for targeted investment in those areas where active leakage control is proven to achieve operational and capital efficiencies. Any savings depend upon the cost to produce the water at a specific works as well as the cost to transmit the water to centres of demand and the capital and operating costs associated with reducing and maintaining leakage levels. These cost components vary for each water supply zone.

Scottish Water

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much of Scottish Water’s water and sewerage mains network was mapped when Scottish Water came into existence and how much it has spent, and will spend, in each year from 2002-03 to 2005-06 on mapping the remainder of the network.

Ross Finnie: I have asked Dr Jon Hargreaves, Chief Executive of Scottish Water to reply. His response is as follows:

  Approximately 95% of Scottish Water's water and sewerage mains network was mapped when Scottish Water came into existence on 1 April 2001. This information is currently on three separate Geographical Information Systems (GIS) software systems. A combined system has been developed and will be rolled out to all users by the end of September 2003.

  There remain some major issues with information about specific attributes, such as the type of material, pipe diameter, fittings details and precise location. As much of the network is decades old, installation details are no longer available. Where records do exist, they are in a variety of locations and formats, such as paper copies and work management repair records. Scottish Water aims to transfer all available information to the harmonised GIS system by December 2004 and the estimated value of this work is £1.2 million.

  Further validation of GIS data is being carried out on an ongoing basis in co-ordination with other Scottish Water projects, such as leakage evaluations, mains rehabilitation, trunk main valve audits, drainage area studies and work management data capture efforts.

Young Offenders

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the restorative element of warnings for young offenders, referred to in A Partnership for a Better Scotland, will involve.

Cathy Jamieson: We are working with the police and others to introduce a national programme of restorative police warnings. We plan to publish guidance to the police in the autumn. This guidance will set out how restorative principles should be applied and will provide examples of good practice.

  Evidence suggests that a restorative approach can make warnings more effective and may reduce re-offending. The restorative element of the warning will vary depending upon the offender, the offence and the impact on the victims. Typically, such an approach involves the young offender and other parties (e.g. his or her parents, the victim and victim supporter, police, community representatives etc) collectively resolving how to deal with the aftermath of the offence. In particular, it aims to involve the victim (either directly or with his or her views conveyed) and offender in discussing the implications of the crime and possible forms of reparation.